HOUSE BILL NO. 6528

December 17, 2020, Introduced by Reps. Yancey, Whitsett, Lasinski, Gay-Dagnogo, Byrd, Wittenberg, Tyrone Carter, Cambensy, Peterson, Brenda Carter, Kennedy, Cynthia Johnson, Rabhi and Jones and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

A bill to provide for certain telephone services for prisoners and inmates; and to provide for the powers and duties of certain state and local governmental officers and entities.

the people of the state of michigan enact:

Sec. 1. As used in this act:

(a) "County jail" means a facility that is operated by a county for the physical detention and correction of individuals charged with or convicted of criminal offenses and ordinance violations, individuals found guilty of civil or criminal contempt, and juveniles detained by court order.

(b) "Department" means the department of corrections.

(c) "Inmate" means an individual who is physically detained in a county jail.

(d) "Prisoner" means an individual committed to or under the jurisdiction of the department.

Sec. 2. (1) The department shall contract for prisoner telephone services with a vendor that proposes the lowest per-minute rate that complies with all of the following:

(a) The per-minute rate for calls made within the United States must not exceed 7 cents per minute for debit, prepaid, and collect calls.

(b) The per-minute rate for international calls must be reasonable but may not exceed 23 cents per minute for prepaid or collect calls.

(c) The per-minute rate must include all taxes and fees.

(2) If a tax, service charge, or any other fee, including, but not limited to, a per-call surcharge, account setup fee, bill statement fee, monthly account maintenance charge, or refund fee, is not included in the per-minute rate under subsection (1), the contract under subsection (1) must not allow a vendor to bill that tax, charge, or fee to any party.

Sec. 3. (1) A county board of commissioners shall contract for inmate telephone services with a vendor that proposes the lowest per-minute rate that complies with all of the following:

(a) The per-minute rate for calls made within the United States must not exceed 7 cents per minute for debit, prepaid, and collect calls.

(b) The per-minute rate for international calls must be reasonable but may not exceed 23 cents per minute for prepaid or collect calls.

(c) The per-minute rate must include all taxes and fees.

(2) If a tax, service charge, or any other fee, including, but not limited to, a per-call surcharge, account setup fee, bill statement fee, monthly account maintenance charge, or refund fee, is not included in the per-minute rate under subsection (1), the contract under subsection (1) must not allow a vendor to bill that tax, charge, or fee to any party.

Sec. 4. This act applies to contracts executed or renewed on or after the effective date of this act.